Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
Mr. Ortiz
February 5, 2020
The Question of Hamlet’s “Nobility”
As the titular character draws his last breath in the ultimate scene of Shakespeare’s
Hamlet, Horatio ruefully declares, “Now cracks a noble heart” (5.2.397). Though it is easy to
dismiss this as a “throwaway” line fueled by grief, Horatio’s words make quite the controversial
claim: that Prince Hamlet was, at his core, a noble man. While we know that Hamlet is “noble”
in the sense of belonging to the ruling class, this is clearly not the definition of the word that we
or character, or of ideals or morals”. A reader can easily be tricked into sympathizing with the
young prince in his quest for revenge. Nevertheless, upon closer examination of the text, it
becomes apparent that he does not possess the qualities befitting of a noble man.
Before we can begin to consider Hamlet’s morality in the play, we must first address a
crucial question: whether or not he possesses “superiority of mind”. This is a very difficult issue
to resolve, since most of the surrounding characters are unable to tell if his supposed madness is
genuine or not. The clearest proof can be found in the play’s final scene, as he prepares to duel
Laertes to the death. With his life on the line, there is no longer any real need to maintain a
façade of insanity. As he asks for his opponent’s forgiveness for Polonius’ death, however, he
absolves himself of any blame, saying, “Who does it then? His madness. If’t be so, / Hamlet is of
the faction that is wronged; / His madness is poor Hamlet’s enemy” (5.2.251-53). Either Hamlet
is telling a pointless falsehood (which would itself be a case against his moral standards), or he is
mind; otherwise, the validity of the decisions he makes, as well as the deeds he commits, must be
called into question. Hamlet, by his own admission at the brink of death, is prone to succumb to
madness at any given moment. This reality on its own makes it hard to believe that he was truly a
noble soul.
Though, as stated earlier, we are not defining “nobility” as “the upper class” for the
purpose of this essay, our definition still implies a possession of honor and importance; after all,
a “humble” man could still possess good ideals or morals. Thus, it is fair to assert that a noble
man carries a healthy and virtuous amount of pride. Hamlet, to the contrary, does not share this
sense of importance and self-worth. His very first soliloquy is filled with despair, as he laments,
“O that this too, too sullied flesh would melt, / Thaw, and resolve itself into a dew, / Or that the
Everlasting had not fixed / His canon ‘gainst self-slaughter!” (1.2.133-36). As prince of
Denmark, Hamlet has every reason to feel valued and important. Sadly, however, he
contemplates taking his own life on multiple occasions, and most likely would have done so had
That task is to obtain revenge for his father’s murder by subsequently killing his uncle,
Claudius. This command is given to him by a Ghost, who appears in the form of his father, King
Hamlet. The spirit is never confirmed by an outside source to be the soul of the late King, and
Horatio and Marcellus are quite hesitant to accept it to be so. It never occurs to Hamlet, however,
that the Ghost could possibly be a fallen soul doing the devil’s work. Instead, he instantly
believes it to be his father, and embraces its order, crying “… thy commandment all alone shall
live / Within the book and volume of my brain” (1.5.109-10). Even if the spirit is truly that of the
King, his son never questions whether his command is moral, or even reasonable. Rather, he
vows to clear his head of all trivial matters in pursuit of revenge. Regardless of one’s personal
feelings toward Hamlet, it is hard to deny that flinging oneself headlong into a morally dubious
It is one matter to commit oneself to a ghastly task, such as murder; it is another to take it
to an extreme. In Act 3, Hamlet stumbles upon Claudius, praying along in his room. With no
witnesses present, this is Hamlet’s golden opportunity to kill his uncle, then make a quick
getaway and deny any involvement. Instead, he chooses to wait, and enact a greater part of his
scheme. He maliciously plots to catch Claudius “about some act / That has no relish of salvation
in ‘t— / Then trip him, that his heels may kick at heaven, / And that his soul may be as damned
and black / As hell, whereto it goes” (3.4.96-100). Some may argue that Hamlet’s desire to send
his uncle to hell may be a legitimate part of his plan for revenge, since his father was murdered
before he could make his last confession. However, it is not for Hamlet to judge the state of his
The character of Hamlet has undeniably appealed to a countless number of readers, past
and present; otherwise, the play would have never achieved the esteemed status it now holds.
Indeed, Hamlet has certain aspects that are praiseworthy, and performs actions that are
commendable. For example, his decision to confront his mother regarding his uncle’s actions
was probably the right thing to do (though it would have been better had he not killed Polonius).
Additionally, making amends with Laertes before their ultimate duel evokes the chivalric values
of medieval knights, and is indicative of some interior goodness. Nevertheless, as logic would
have it, the part does not equal the whole; in the same way, these few instances of virtue
displayed in Hamlet do not mean that Hamlet is an admirable soul. His loathsome deeds, coupled
with his mental instability, ought to indicate that Hamlet, to Horatio’s sure dismay, is not a noble
heart.
I pledge my honor that I have not violated academic honesty during this examination or
assignment.
Dominic Vance
February 5, 2020